Sleep & Nutrition: Eating your way to a successful night’s sleep!

Do you remember being put to bed with a warm cup of milk?  I can definitely recall my grandmother telling me it was the best thing for a good night’s sleep and my enjoying the rich warm liquid and its soporific effects.  Back then I’m certain that she didn’t understand the science associated with the sleep inducing benefits of milk, but nevertheless she was right!

 In this article, the first of a few features for RestAssured, I aim to help you with some key foods (and just a little science) which may help your child to sleep better.

 Nutrition plays a crucial role in many of the body’s functions and is one of the three main pillars, together with sleep and exercise.  The three pillars are inextricably linked and focussing on the right nutrition can have huge benefits to (both yours and) your child’s sleep. 

In general, sleep is aided by relaxation, darkness, the correct eating patterns and the release of specific chemicals.  Our body falls asleep in response to melatonin (and its precursors serotonin and tryptophan), a hormone secreted in the body in response to increasing darkness, as part of our natural circadian rhythms something Cherry talks a lot about in other blog posts. 

The appropriate nutrition can help you increase levels of melatonin and milk (in particular malted milk, like Horlicks) is one of the magic foods*.  Horlicks is composed of wheat, malt barley, sugar, milk, and 14 vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D and several B-group vitamins. Emerging clinical evidence supports the association between vitamin and mineral deficiencies and disrupted sleep* So well done Grandma! 

 Here are a few more foods and how you might be able to incorporate them into meal-times:

 Bananas – potassium is a great muscle relaxant.  Mash some up with avocado (also a good sleep food), on its own or spread on some bread

 Strawberries – they contain B6 which is a strong promoter of melatonin

 Camomile tea – this promotes relaxation and can be brewed and then cooled served in a bottle or cup

 Oats and oatmeal – high in amino acids which help produce melatonin.  Cooked In milk with some mashed banana gives you a gentle three-way winning combination.  A drizzle of honey is another melatonin inducer

 Kiwi fruit – proven to aid sleep1. Rich in vitamins A & C and serotonin

 Seeds – finely ground and mixed into stewed fruit, or anything sweet or savoury which you have pureed.  Pumpkin seeds are particularly beneficial in increasing serotonin

 Eggs – high in tryptophan.  So many ways to give eggs to your child to find what texture and consistency they like

 Sweet potatoes – also high in potassium which can help sleep.  Delicious mashed up or as a replacement for the usual white baked potatoes

 Nut butters – the protein is a good sleep inducer as well as the vitamins in the nuts.  Like smooth peanut butter on bread or toast

 Fatty fish – (sometimes a challenge!) but fatty fish is a good source of vitamin D and omega-3, nutrients important for the regulation of serotonin and sleep regulation.  Sardines mashed up in some creamy mashed potato was a good way to camouflage them from my son!

 Cheddar or cottage cheese – the protein and fat can be a good stomach settler.  Plus they also contain vitamin D which is proven to aid sleep1

 Wholegrains – e.g. quality carbohydrates are also good for sleep because they make Tryptophan available to the brain.  Brown rice, whole pot barley quinoa etc. if well-cooked are an easy addition to meals or in soups and stews

 Vegetables – some specific vegetables also provide the vitamins associated with better sleep.  Here are a few:  Mushrooms, cucumbers, spinach, sweetcorn, asparagus, peas, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, and potatoes

 In additional to the foods we eat, the pattern of eating can also have a significant impact on sleep.  Creating a regular eating routine for your child is key to tapping into those circadian rhythms mentioned above.  In particular (and in general) skipping breakfast and eating irregularly throughout the day have been strongly associated with poor sleep quality*. Eating close to bed-time means the body is digesting rather than resting and this can impact getting off to sleep.  How much we eat at a given time of day will also have an impact. For some adults eating a hearty breakfast, medium sized lunch and a lighter supper helps sleeping so that's definitely worth a try with children too!

I hope that’s helpful to you all.  More contributions to come - how to eat to look after yourself by eating well, and how to lose pregnancy weight without going on a diet (that’s a good one!).

Thanks, Lori x

Lori is a qualified nutrition and weight management coach specialising in mindful eating therapy.  You can find out more about her work here:  www.themindfuleatingclinic.com.

 *St-Onge MP, Mikic A, Pietrolungo CE. Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality. Adv Nutr. 2016 Sep 15;7(5):938-49. doi: 10.3945/an.116.012336. PMID: 27633109; PMCID: PMC5015038.